Plymouth Whitemarsh battles to a close win over area rival Methacton

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — Wins came in many forms for the Plymouth Whitemarsh wrestling team Wednesday night, and they all added up to a satisfying victory over area rival Methacton.

The Colonials came up with key pins, won tight decisions, and also strategically gained ground in some decisions they lost, prying a 30-27 win out of a tightly-contested match with the Warriors.

“One of the biggest wins of the night wasn’t even a win,” said Colonials coach Dan Madonna with a smile. “Ty Borkowski (152 pounds) coming away, losing by decision instead of a pin, helped us big time. If he loses that match, it’s tied. And it comes down to criteria. We try to tell these kids – anything you do, win or lose, you’re helping the team out.”

Said Madonna: “We had to bump a couple kids around and in years past, on other teams that I’ve been on, it’s tough to get kids to buy in to bumping around. But this team, everyday we preach about winning as a team. And that’s what they did. They bumped around, moved up in weight, and it helped us big time.”

PW won its third straight and improved to 6-1 on the season. The Colonials are off until next Thursday, when they head to the Governor Mifflin Holiday Tournament.

Methacton dropped to 7-3. The Warriors head to Conestoga Wednesday and Thursday for the Neil Turner Memorial Holiday Classic.

“It was a good match. Last year we had a tough one with them at the beginning of the year and now we had another one that came down to a few matches,” said Madonna.

Seniors Ashton Wittenberg and Justin Bainbridge again helped power the way.

Wittenberg pinned Jackson Power at 139 pounds and Bainbridge came through with an 11-5 decision over Cole Rotondo at 189.

“We beat them by a point last year and we lost a lot of seniors. So it felt good to win this one today,” Wittenberg said. “I’m really proud of the team. Everyone wrestled well tonight. We got the momentum going and won some big matches.”

Bainbridge’s decision at 189 provided a 30-15 edge, clinching the win for the Colonials.

“Methacton fought hard. I’m proud of the way we wrestled,” Bainbridge said. “I think we’re on a run right now. So we’re looking to carry that energy into the upcoming matches. We have a little break so we’re gonna stay in the room, keep working hard and see what happens.”

Dylan Pachik (215) and Joshua Cancro (285) won by pin for the Warriors, as did Ryan Hayes at 121, providing an early boost.

But the Colonials pushed ahead for good when sophomore Omar Charabi won by pin at 145.

“We needed some younger guys to come out and help us with the win tonight. We just had to win some matches, get some big team points, get some pins here and there,” said Wittenberg. “And not giving up major points or pins really helped us tonight.

“Things are heating up. We’re feeling good going into league matches in January.”

Everything added up right for the Colonials. Deaglan Budd’s 6-4 decision over Jacob Gronwaldt at 172 was another key moment.

Said Madonna: “He’s got a way of pulling those out. That’s why we put him there.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh 30, Methacton 27

114: Colin Wagner (PW) dec. Tucker Hazelton 2-1; 3-0.

121: Ryan Hayes (M) pinned Lucas Marinelli-Kalinowski 1:40; 6-3.

127: Shane McQuaid (M) won by forfeit; 12-3.

133: Ryan Pinto (PW) dec. Axaviar Damavandi 8-2; 6-12.

139: Ashton Wittenberg (PW) pinned Jackson Power 1:05; 12-12.

145: Omar Charabi (PW) pinned Parker Gigus :39; 18-12.

152: Matty Shumaker (M) dec. Ty Borkowski 11-5; 15-18.

160: Ricky Mattioni (PW) pinned Chase Rotondo 5:04; 24-15.

172: Deaglan Budd (PW) dec. Jacob Gronwaldt 6-4; 27-15.

189: Justin Bainbridge (PW) dec. Cole Rotondo 11-5; 30-15.

215: Dylan Pachik (M) pinned Kyheim Mercer 4:07; 21-30.

285: Joshua Cancro (M) pinned Donald Kunf :39; 27-30.